Trousers with integrated bowl

ABSTRACT

Trousers containing an integral lap-mounted bowl, plate, or cupholder, or fastenings for a removable bowl, plate, or drinking vessel to be temporarily affixed to the lap area.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/838,257 having filing date Jun. 22, 2013.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to clothing and dinnerware, and particularly to the integration of dinnerware with garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a novel and enjoyable convenience for serving food and eating in locations and/or situations lacking a table, such as movie theatres, campfires, cars, and when lounging on the couch. The invention provides a bowl built into the lap of the wearer's clothing. Such a bowl can hold food conveniently on the wearer's lap in an enjoyable way.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a garment in the general form of trousers, which includes a bowl, plate, drinking vessel, or other container (hereinafter “vessel”), located on the front of the garment at the junction of the trouser legs, so that its concavity will open upwards when the wearer is sitting or reclining.

In another aspect, the vessel may be of rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible construction, In another aspect, the vessel may be suitable for use with food, permitting the wearer to eat and/or drink therefrom.

In another aspect, the vessel may be permanently affixed to the trousers, or may be temporarily or semi-permanently affixed to the trousers by means of suitable fasteners including, but not limited to, snap fasteners, zippers, hook-and-loop pads, laces, and adhesive tape. In another aspect, the vessel may be separate from the trousers, the trousers having a pocket for containing the vessel.

In another aspect, the vessel may be a commonly-available bowl, plate, or drinking vessel, or a commercial food or beverage package. In another aspect, the vessel may be a special-purpose item designed to fit the trousers. In another aspect, such a special-purpose vessel may be an inflatable bowl, which in another aspect may have an inflator unit for inflating the bowl.

In another aspect, the trousers may include a flap for closing the concavity of the vessel. In another aspect, the trousers may include fastenings for temporarily closing the flap. In another aspect, the flap may include a liquid-impermeable membrane and/or an apparatus for sealing the vessel.

With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a general anterior view of the invention in the standing position, illustrating the general configuration and features thereof, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a general view of the invention in the sitting position, showing the general configuration and features thereof, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention, illustrating the general configuration and the movable and separable components thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts the anterior aspect of an embodiment of the invention, indicated generally by reference number 100. A lower-torso covering 112, continuous with leg coverings 114 of arbitrary length 107, form trousers 105 of arbitrary length 108. A concave bowl of rigid or flexible construction 120, is affixed to the trousers 105 proximate to the junction 117 of the leg coverings 114 and lower-torso covering 112.

FIG. 2 depicts a general view of an embodiment of the invention, indicated generally by reference number 200, in a sitting position. Trousers 205 cover the lower torso and legs of the wearer 201. A bowl 220, having a flexible bottom 221, a semi-rigid cylindrical wall 222, and a flexible rim 223, is affixed to the trousers 205. The location of the bowl 220 on the trousers 205 causes the bowl 220 to sit concave-up on the wearer's (201) lap when the wearer 201 is sitting or reclining A flexible cover flap 230, affixed to the trousers 205 proximate to the bowl 220, may be manually raised to the illustrated configuration to expose the bowl 220. The cover flap 230 may be manually positioned to cover the bowl 220, and temporarily affixed using hook-and-loop pads 235.

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded general view of an embodiment of the invention, indicated generally by reference number 300, in a sitting position. Trousers 305 cover the lower torso and upper legs of the wearer 301. The trousers 305 incorporate at least one pocket 309, and a bowl pocket 325, consisting of a bottom 326 and a cylindrical wall 327, an opening 328, and hook-and-loop pads 329.

An inflatable bowl 320 has a bottom 321, a cylindrical inflatable wall 322, a rim 323, and an inflator unit 340. Hook-and-loop pads 324 affixed to the underside of the rim 323 permit temporary fixation of the bowl in the bowl pocket 325. A flexible tube 341 conducts pressurized air from the inflator unit 340 to the cylindrical inflatable wall 322, permitting inflation of the cylindrical inflatable wall 322 by operation of the inflator unit 340.

The bowl pocket 325 and the inflatable bowl 320 have approximately equal depth and diameter, permitting insertion of the bowl 320 into the bowl pocket 325, with temporary fixation by means of the hook-and-loop pads 324, 329.

An opening 328 in the bowl pocket 325 permits insertion of the inflator unit 340 and flexible tube 341 through the trousers, and storage of the inflator unit 340 in the trouser pocket 309.

Although the inventions have been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments that do not include all of the features and benefits set forth herein. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Trousers comprising a flexible covering for a wearer's lower torso and flexible coverings for the wearer's legs, said leg coverings continuous with said lower-torso covering; said leg coverings having a pre-determined extent inferior of the wearer's waist; further comprising: a bowl comprising a rigid bottom and at least one rigid side; said at least one rigid side extending from, and continuous with, the perimeter of said bottom, forming thereby a concavity; said bowl affixed to the outer-anterior portion of said trousers, configured to rest with its concavity opening substantially upward when the wearer is sitting.
 2. The trousers of claim 1, wherein the leg coverings may have any extent inferior of the wearer's waist.
 3. The trousers of claim 2, the bowl having a configuration adapted for holding food and the bowl comprising materials adapted for holding food.
 4. The trousers of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the bowl comprises flexible materials.
 5. The trousers of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the bowl comprises an inflatable structure.
 6. The trousers of claim 5, further comprising an inflator unit configured to permit inflation of said inflatable structure by appropriate operation of said inflator unit.
 7. The trousers of claim 6, wherein the inflator unit may be located within a pocket of the trousers.
 8. Trousers comprising a flexible covering for a wearer's lower torso and flexible coverings for the wearer's legs, said leg coverings continuous with said lower-torso covering; said leg coverings having a pre-determined extent inferior of the wearer's waist; further comprising: a bowl pocket comprising a bottom and at least one side, located in the anterior portion of said trousers, proximate to the junction of the leg coverings and the lower-torso covering; said at least one side extending from, and continuous with, the perimeter of said bottom, forming thereby a concavity; said bowl pocket configured to rest with its concavity opening substantially upward when the wearer is sitting.
 9. The trousers of claim 8, the bowl pocket configured to receive a container.
 10. The trousers of claim 9, wherein said container may be selected from a group comprising plates, bowls, and drinking vessels.
 11. The trousers of claim 9, the bowl pocket configured to conform substantially to the form of a particular container designed specifically to mate therewith.
 12. The trousers of claim 11, said container comprising: an inflatable structure; an inflator unit configured to permit inflation of said inflatable structure by appropriate operation of said inflator unit.
 13. The trousers of claim 8, further comprising fasteners for temporarily affixing the container in the bowl pocket.
 14. The trousers of claim 13, wherein said fasteners may be selected from a group comprising buttons, snap fasteners, zippers, hook-and-loop pads, laces, and adhesive tape.
 15. The trousers of claim 8, further comprising: a flexible cover flap, configured to cover the bowl pocket; fasteners configured to temporarily affix said cover flap over the bowl pocket.
 16. The trousers of claim 15, the flexible cover flap further comprising a liquid-impermeable membrane.
 17. The trousers of claim 10, further comprising a flexible cover flap configured to cover the bowl pocket, said flexible cover flap further comprising: a liquid-impermeable membrane; a seal for sealing the interface of the bowl and flexible cover flap. 